Book Description

Grant writing skills are critical for researchers. According to author Betty Lai, a study of 92 institutions found that 67% listed grant-funding as a major criterion for promotion and tenure. Yet many scholars do not receive grant writing training. Addressing this need, The Grant Writing Guide is a concrete roadmap intended specifically for scholars for learning how to write fundable grants. This book walks academic readers through steps to generate ideas, determine which grants help create in career advancement, find the right funder, and write in a way that excites reviewers and funders. Organized into 14 brief chapters, every chapter is designed to build grant-writing skills. Drawing from interviews with 100 grant writers, program officers, administrators, writers, and researchers in every phase of their career, the Grant Writing Guide lays out best practices, common questions, and pitfalls to avoid. Important topics covered will include finding available grants, generating ideas aligned with one's values, furthering one's career goals, creating effective pitches, talking to program officers, completing grant applications and structuring timelines, communicating clearly in prose and images, and soliciting feedback to strengthen your proposal. Chapters will open with stories from successful grant writers about the skill. Chapters will then describe and teach the skill. Chapters will end with an exercise designed to help researchers develop the skill While this book is intended specifically for academics, Dr. Lai has strived to incorporate advice and examples that will resonate with women as well as scholars from non-traditional backgrounds